Games with Gold s Xbox 360 support is ending with a bona fide classic TechRadar Skip to main content TechRadar is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here's why you can trust us. Games with Gold s Xbox 360 support is ending with a bona fide classic By Rhys Wood published 1 September 2022 Passing the baton (Image credit: Valve) Audio player loading… Games with Gold is leaving the Xbox 360 behind, but not before featuring one of the console's best games. On September 16, Games with Gold will receive its last ever Xbox 360 game in the form of Portal 2. If you own an Xbox Series XS or Xbox One and have an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription, you'll be able to download and play Valve's classic puzzler via backward compatibility at no extra cost on your subscription. Earlier this year, Microsoft said it would be retiring support for Xbox 360 games on the Games with Gold service. As of October 1, more Xbox One games will take their place. Though it's possible we may still see some original Xbox games featured through the service. Portal 2 isn't the only game on the September docket. It'll be joined by fantasy adventure Gods Will Fall, shoot 'em up Double Kick Heroes, and theme park manager Thrillville. But Valve's puzzler is far and away the best of the four, even if it's being emulated from older hardware. That means a lower resolution, 30fps framerate cap and longer load times. Was it all worth it Since the advent of Xbox Game Pass, the Games with Gold service has always felt like a damp squib. Doubly so, considering many of the games that the service features are often also available on Game Pass, and for much longer periods. Games with Gold has often been criticized as an afterthought. Most of the time, it certainly doesn't keep up with PS Plus's free monthly games, which frequently dazzles us with its high-profile offerings. I'm personally not sure why Microsoft feels the need to hold onto Games with Gold as a service. Xbox Game Pass achieves much the same, albeit with a much larger library stuffed with triple-A blockbusters, indie darlings and no shortage of day-one releases. In future, I wouldn't be surprised if Microsoft phases out Games with Gold entirely. Hopefully not by the time it's run out of Xbox One games to feature, though, otherwise it'll be around for potentially decades. And as for Portal 2, sure, it's available on a number of other platforms, including PC and Nintendo Switch. But if you only own an Xbox, and have yet to play Valve's mind-bending adventure, set a couple of afternoons aside. It's one of the best puzzle games to date, and the brilliantly witty script will have you hooting and hollering throughout its 8-10 hour runtime. Oh, and you can grab a buddy for one of the best co-op experiences out there, too.A new PS5 model just dropped – but won't solve the console's biggest problem Rhys WoodHardware WriterRhys is Hardware Writer for TechRadar Gaming, and while relatively fresh to the role, he's been writing in a professional capacity for years. A Media, Writing and Production graduate, Rhys has prior experience creating written content for app developers, IT firms, toy sellers and the main TechRadar site. His true passions, though, lie in video games, TV, audio and home entertainment. When Rhys isn't on the clock, you'll usually find him logged into Final Fantasy 14, Halo Infinite or Sea of Thieves. See more Gaming news TechRadar Newsletter Sign up to get breaking news, reviews, opinion, analysis and more, plus the hottest tech deals! Thank you for signing up to TechRadar. You will receive a verification email shortly. There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again. MOST POPULARMOST SHARED1You may not have to sell a body part to afford the Nvidia RTX 4090 after all2It looks like Fallout's spiritual successor is getting a PS5 remaster3My days as a helpful meat shield are over, thanks to the Killer Klown horror game4One of the world's most popular programming languages is coming to Linux5The iPhone 14 Pro is made of the wrong stuff; the Pixel 7 proves that to me1We finally know what 'Wi-Fi' stands for - and it's not what you think2Best laptops for designers and coders 3The iPhone 14 Pro is made of the wrong stuff; the Pixel 7 proves that to me4Miofive 4K Dash Cam review5Logitech's latest webcam and headset want to relieve your work day frustrations Technology Magazines (opens in new tab)● (opens in new tab)The best tech tutorials and in-depth reviewsFrom$12.99 (opens in new tab)View (opens in new tab)